Tuesday, 26 October 2010

BBC one programmes Turn Back Time 'The High Street'

In programme one, it's the 1870s and the families arrive in Shepton Mallet during Victorian times as the big household brands begin to take hold and the High Street is established.

They will still have to make much of their own produce by hand on-site, however, as well as advertise and establish a customer base in the lead up to selling goods at market day.
Customer service is top of the agenda in programme two, as the families reach the Edwardian era, a golden age of shopping disrupted by the outbreak of the First World War and a challenging trading environment.
In programme three, the families trade through the latter half of the Thirties, as a sugar glut heralds the arrival of the sweet shop. Electricity, refrigeration and cellophane arrive to make life easier, and the British Empire supplies goods from across the world.
The families trade against the backdrop of the Second World War in programme four, as war-time rationing, coupons and identity cards bring home the challenging realities of life on the Home Front, highlighting the important role of the local shop for the community.
But it's all change in programme five when the shopkeepers enter the early Sixties. Americana, self-service and teenagers hit the High Street for the first time and the families step into a radically new era of shopping and selling.
In programme six, the families reach the Seventies, and the origins of the modern shopping experience – decimalisation, the supermarket and frozen food – finally arrive.
A Silver Jubilee street party is held to bring the community together and celebrate the end of the experience.